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Gay culture is rapidly becoming less isolated in the UK, and gay men are now starting to play a defining role in areas such as art, the media and politics. This is mainly because of Aids, which has led to much greater media coverage of gay issues and has also led to the deaths of a number of major gay artists. However, many ordinary gay men still feel that to be openly gay would be to endanger their career and their friendships.

The film 'Star Wars,' which was first launched in 1977, is now being relaunched following investment of $15 million in digital audio and visual improvements. The relaunch is mainly designed to test audience reactions before the planned release of a new 'Star Wars' trilogy, beginning with 'Episode One: The Balance of the Force' in May 1999. No 'Star Wars' films have been released since 1983, and there were fears that the concept could now be regarded as outdated.

With the New Homosexuality comes the New Homophobia. New Homophobia is much like the Old Homophobia - reliant on assumption, assertion, stereotype and assiduously cultivated ignorance - but shrewdly forgoes [...]

TAMMY WYNETTE dead. The Spice Girls failing to reach number one. George Michael in jail in LaLaLand for 'disorderly behaviour'. It's been a bad week for homosexuals. Oh, you didn't [...]

The novel 'Namedropper' is autobiographical in a way, according to novelist Emma Forrest. However, the novel's main character, Viva, tends to do things before Forrest did, rather than the other way round. The character Drew is not Richie, the lead singer from the Manic Street Preachers who disappeared, although Forrest used to spend a lot of time with the Manic Street Preachers. She became well known at an early age after writing a piece about Madonna for the Evening Standard when she was 14 and the Generation X column in the Sunday Times at 16.

The very harsh treatment of black, gay footballer Justin Fashanu, who recently committed suicide, highlights the extent to which homosexuality is still regarded as a taboo in football in the UK. It is acceptable for footballers to admire and even love each other for their sporting ability, but football as a whole has still failed to come to terms with homosexuality. Fashanu did not seem to fit in well with gay culture, and was also rejected by black culture because he did not seem to be an appropriate role model.

The outing of homosexuals is only justified in cases where public figures abuse their power to cause damage to other gay people. However, lesbians and gays are generally strongly in favour of the outing of homophobes, as homophobia is the cause of outing. Some observers dispute this view, claiming that there are never circumstances in which one gay person should rob another of the freedom to choose whether to be open about their sexuality. The confrontational techniques used by gay pressure group OutRage! cannot be justified.

Actress Minnie Driver is very different from other British actresses who have developed high-profile careers. She is not easily classified as being upper class, and has succeeded on her own merit. She has no national or cultural connections, and has experienced both success and failure. There is a strong sense that she is not concealing her real self, and she seems to subscribe to the view that position is something to be achieved, rather than something you are born to.

The film 'Wag the Dog' was conceived some time before the scandal involving President Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky, according to filmmaker Barry Levinson. However, it shows a president in very similar circumstances to those in which Clinton was involved in real life. He feels that the real scandal helped to boost publicity for the film, but that most critics have not really understood what the film is about. He points out that the film was not intended to be about a specific president. Instead, it portrays modern presidency.

Screenwriter Anthony Minghella first came to public attention with 'Truly, Madly Deeply,' the film he made for BBC2 which later became a cinema success. He then began working in the US, and has so far managed to deal competently with the values and attitudes of Hollywood film stars. His Italian background has given him a great deal of warmth, and he has also gained respect for his great artistry and writing skills. He has recently won an Oscar for his work on 'The English Patient.'

Many television documentaries which have been shown recently in the UK have not really dealt with serious issues, even though they have claimed to. In many cases, they are merely a metaphor for a wider social issue, and this gives them protection from being challenged directly. Documentary-makers like to give the impression that they are dealing with important social and cultural matters, but their main impact is to encourage viewers to be self-important and self-righteous.

Actress Kirstin Scott Thomas has until recently been regarded as interesting but second-rank. However, this has changed as a result of the film 'The English Patient.' She has rapidly gained star status, and this is reflected in the image of her which is now being conveyed. She has changed her appearance, and now only does interviews in the most prestigious locations. She now comes across as less domestic and more ambitious.

There has been shown to be strong demand among audiences for cinematic adaptations of classic novels by writers such as Thomas Hardy, Charlotte Bronte and Jane Austen. Costume dramas of this kind are popular because they good taste and clear cultural values, but adapting classic tales for the screen can bring serious problems. The demands of the cinema often force the writer's original intentions to be obliterated, and in many cases producers are simply looking to exploit a trend.

The National Enquirer, which is currently celebrating its 25th anniversary, is the most widely read tabloid weekly publication in the world. It runs extremely detailed stories about the private lives of many different celebrities, and exercises strict control over its employees and former employees in order to ensure that stories remain exclusive. Its tactics have been widely criticised by other newspapers, but it is now fighting back, pointing out that other newspapers are constantly trying to steal its stories.

The television programme 'The X Files,' which is now in its third series, has proved extremely popular. It deals with strange phenomena, bringing obscure obsessions into mainstream culture. It has won a BAFTA award for viewers' most popular show, and three books relating to the series have become best-sellers. Its success seems to be due to the fact that it deals with the immaterial, having a strong overtone of permanent insecurity which fits in very well with current social trends.

The most interesting films are those which treat important things with humour, according to actress Victoria Abril. She trained originally as a dancer, but found that acting came naturally to her, while dancing was very hard work. She greatly enjoys making films, but found it very hard to work in Hollywood, where the pace of film-making tends to be very slow.

Some observers feel that people associated with Superman become tainted with a curse. They cite the example of Jerry Siegel, the co-creator of Superman, who ended his life in poverty, of Superman actor Christopher Reeve, who was paralysed in a riding accident, and of Margot Kidder, who played Lois Lane and suffered a bad road accident. With hindsight, it is perhaps possible to see that there is some sort of pattern of disaster, but other observers believe that this is simply coincidence.

Hollywood films have traditionally been entertaining and had a happy ending. This is no longer the case, as shown with recent releases such as 'Leaving Las Vegas' and 'Seven.' There seems to be an end of era atmosphere as a new century approaches, and many films give a bleak view of the future. Formats which have been popular until recently are now in decline, and a younger generation of actors with more discerning tastes is emerging.

Writer Paul Burston has attracted some very negative reactions in the gay media, even though he is gay himself. His book 'What Are You Looking At?' is critical of a number of aspects of gay society, and this has caused offense and confusion among some gays. He believes that it is important to adopt a critical approach, not necessarily simply accepting that all things gay are good.

There have been many changes in Belfast over the last year as a result of the ceasefire. Checkpoints have been removed, Protestants and Catholics are mixing more freely and many tourists have been attracted. To local people used to the noise and activity associated with many years of tension, Belfast now seems very quiet. Belfast has become much more cosmopolitan, and the atmosphere is now very relaxed.

The collapse of Communism does not seem to have reduced the relevance of George Orwell's 'Animal Farm,' which has now been in print for 50 years. It now has a much wider relevance than the story of Stalinism, and is seen by many observers as a seminal text. People living under Communist regimes regarded it as a vital tool in their struggle for human dignity and liberty.

Michael Barrymore has become an extremely popular television presenter, having won the Top Entertainment Presenter prize twice at the British Comedy Awards and being able to demand very high fees for appearances. He retains this position despite constant newspaper allegations that he is either gay or bisexual. If it is finally confirmed that he is gay, many of his fans may not really care. In fact, they may simply see it as a reasonable explanation for his rather vulnerable, sentimental character.

Bob Kane's original Batman cartoon strips were inspired by the real life experiences of Bruce Wayne. This has caused considerable problems for Wayne, who for many years was trapped in the cartoon persona. He felt that he had to behave in the same way as Batman, and was particularly guilty about his homosexuality. As an orphan, he had a particular need to feel accepted, but this was very hard when he could not acknowledge his real emotions.